


In the flesh

by ceasee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Love Triangles, M/M, Rival Relationship, Romantic Comedy, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24642382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceasee/pseuds/ceasee
Summary: ʰᵉ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵉᵛⁱˡ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠˡᵉˢʰ.ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ᶜᵒⁿˢᶜⁱᵒᵘˢˡʸ ᶠᵉˡˡ ᶠᵒʳ ʰⁱˢ ᶜʰᵃʳᵐ.• • •her lips twitched in annoyance, then into a menacing smile. "my, my. look who's here. satan?"donghyuck ran his fingers through his hair, and winked. "yes, yes. in the flesh."kim kirin and lee donghyuck were rivals for life. but when the important people in their lives got tangled into a youthful folly, the two rushed to solve it together with their combined wits and efforts - only to find out that it was beyond physics and chemistry.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Reader, Park Jisung & Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Donghyuck—Panic! In the library

**Author's Note:**

> note:  
> my belated birthday gift for the one and only fullsun｡◕‿◕｡  
> english is not my first language! there may be errors ahead, and i hope you'll help me correct them. i'm open for constructive criticism gois (ꈍᴗꈍ)♡
> 
> lowercase intended.

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡°

• • •

i. library fiasco with lee donghyuck

■■■■■■

_april_ _._   
the first week.

■■■■■■

**"oya?"**

kirin jolted and felt her skin crawl upon hearing the familiar, fakey-nice, syrupy voice owned by none other than lee donghyuck — her academic rival. she nodded at the librarian and grabbed the books from the counter, clutching it tight in her chest before she turned her heels around and faced the boy. her black nonchalant eyes met his mischievous honey-colored ones.  
  


"if it isn't the top _two_ , greetings kirin."he sneered, emphasizing 'two' in a slow and antagonizing manner. it took everything to stop herself from ripping the cynical smirk off his face.

in their batch, the two of them would always dominate the top ranks. when kirin gets the top 1 spot, she'd stick her tongue out at him whenever she's given a chance.and when donghyuck does, in return he'd disgrace her and ruin her entire day for his satisfaction. this rivalry has been going on since the start of middle school in neocity academy, it only got worse during highschool. the sight of her rival during the best of her morning break was the last thing she wanted. if only she had the power to actually ban donghyuck from the school library that so she could live her life in peace.

her lips twitched in annoyance, then into a menacing smile. "my, my. look who's here. satan?"  
  


donghyuck ran his fingers through his hair, and winked. "yes, yes. in the flesh." but did he think he was going to look charismatic? that's sad.  
  


she opted to ignore the wink. "say, how's the physics assignment going on, top _one_?"she asked, not forgetting to use a friendly, twangy tone to get in his nerves.  
  


and yay, it worked. donghyuck clicked his tongue, annoyed. she suppressed a giggle. he was clearly unamused with the reminder.  
  


for some reason, kirin stayed superior in physics over him when they go toe-to-toe for almost all the subjects. she would insist donghyuck to admit that she was unparalleled in the particular science, but this only fueled his determination to double his efforts in studying the subject. after a second, he regained his pompous posture and out of nowhere, he shoved a paper right into her face. she shrieked in shock but it was reasonably controlled that it did not disturb the peace of the place.

"stop scaring me like that!"she chided, stomping her feet like a child to which donghyuck almost cooed at but forced himself not to.   
  


"see this?" he placed a finger on the paper, pointing at something which kirin, with all truth and shame, does not understand at all.  
  


"oh, i forgot." donghyuck gasped in theatrics, clasping his mouth with his free hand. he was enjoying the sight of his rival's distorted face. "you couldn't read musical sheets right? i'm sorry." but he wasn't really sorry.  
  


blood rushed up to her cheeks, embarassment shrinking her. yes, she couldn't read notes and more especially musical sheets. to her displeasure, she's also tone deaf and isn't even inclined towards musical instruments. on the contrary, donghyuck was an ace in all of these. a singer (also a _ballet dancer_ ), a pianist and is phenomenal in playing recorder.  
  


gosh, how unfair can the world get.  
  


"i didn't ask you to remind me of that."she hissed, pushing the paper away from her face.  
  


donghyuck scoffed, rolling the paper and placing it back to his pocket. "you started it, stupid."he stuck his tongue out.  
  


"who are you calling stupid, you _air resistance_ that we ignore in projectile motion?"she spat.  
  


donghyuck crossed his arms. "you think i don't know why air resistance is neglected in the equations? shut your trap, you _vestigial organ_ everyone can live without."

kirin scowled and pointed at the illustration of charles darwin's _theory of evolution and natural selection_ that wasposted across the wall. "at least vestigial features were beneficial to the study of human evolution!"  
  


donghyuck then pointed at the right of her abdomen. "i'm talking about the appendix, how about that genius?"  
  


kirin slapped his hand away and raised her left thumb. "studies are still ongoing about its function and i will bet my left thumb, it is not a pointless organ!"  
  


donghyuck placed his hands on his hips, giving her a disapproving look. "oh yeah, defend the appendix all you want when all it does is sit beside the abdomen, suddenly inflame and bring pain to people!"

kirin slammed the books back on the counter, startling the librarian and the students.  
  


"I WILL BET MY LEFT THUMB LEE DONGHYUCK."she gripped his collars, alarming him and everyone else.  
  


"WHY NOT BET YOUR LIFE COWARD? AND NOT THAT I CARE."donghyuck rebuked, trying to push her away with minimal efforts, afraid that he might throw the girl away with full force. 

"YOU TWO!"both of them froze in their places, realizing what scandal they were doing inside a supposedly 'quiet' place. the 50 year old librarian's croaky high-pitched voice rang in their ears, given their proximity to the counter and her. "LOWER YOUR VOICES OR LEAVE!"  
  
  


• • •

_in the flesh_  
 _|_ in person, rather than via a telephone, a movie, the written word, or other means.

synonyms: in person, before one's eyes, live

ahh, yes. the library and the cliché. 

weren't their endearments sweet? air resistance vs. vestigial organ lmao. i wanna hear your thoughts about this chapter!


	2. Jaemin—A spawn of hell

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡°

• • •

ii. na jaemin joins the riot

  
kirin's desire to hit donghyuck with a hardbound book was getting stronger than ever. she had confirmed that he seemed to bring out the worst of her, everytime they're together. for the first time, she was yelled at for being too noisy inside the library. that's supposed to be unheard of!  
  
  
  


"we apologize, ma'am."kirin said, and the both of them bowed courteously.   
  
  
  


"don't make unnecessary noises again."the librarian scolded. the two of them raised their heads and nodded obediently.  
  
  
  


"now, be good children."she said before shifting her attention to her computer, and continued typing like turtle. the two of them watched her and wished someone _benevolent enough_ helped the old librarian out, for the typing at least.  
  
  
  


kirin heard her companion scoff."all because you just had to scream."donghyuck muttered, clicking his tongue. kirin reached for her books again before she snapped her head at him.  
  
  


"excuse me? are you putting all the blame on me now?"she asked in incredulity.  
  
  


donghyuck rolled his eyes.  
"yes, you were too persistent about the appendix thing. you embarrassed the two of us."  
  
  


"how shameless can you get, you devil!"she raised her fist at him, but donghyuck leaned in, challenging her.  
  
  


"no fighting darlings, or i'm going to call your parents." someone came and pushed the two of them away from the counter, where the librarian was looking clearly uncomfortable with their interaction.  
  


kirin and donghyuck both frowned, knowing who owned that _kindergarten-teacher-voice_ too well.  
  


"sike! hahaha!"the person smothered donghyuck in a tight hug, and the latter was practically shrieking in displeasure. "donghyuckie~"he called, in his sing-song voice, protruding his lips at his friend for a kiss.  
  
  


"argh get away from me!"donghyuck forced himself out of his grasp, and pushed jaemin's face away from his.   
  


"tch. unaffectionate as ever."jaemin pouted but donghyuck only scowled at him.  
  


then with his signature all-teeth smile like those of the commercials, he turned to kirin and greeted. "hi kirin-ah." ugh. here we go again. kirin cringed.  
  


the 'na jaemin', everybody. a spawn of hell, if we may add, and a good friend of donghyuck. and a friend of her rival meant another of her enemies. "why are you in the library, jaemin. i thought you couldn't read."she deadpanned.  
  


donghyuck snorted and tapped his friend's shoulder for emotional support, but jaemin only giggled with her response. "i see your as warm and lovely as ever, kirin-ah. are you free for lunch? i need a date."he even winked. _oh god no, please no._  
  


do not be fooled by the sweet, charming façade that this guy is pulling at. kirin doesn't call him a spawn of hell for nothing.  
  


"ugh, leave me alone. i had enough of donghyuck already."she exasperated, her day getting as depressing as jaemin's english grades.   
  


he tried to hold her hand but one look from the girl and he withdrew. he cleared his throat and donghyuck rolled his eyes, knowing what his next words are. "kirin-ah, have you—"  
  


" _seen_ renjun?"she completed his sentence, having been through this a million times already. she sighed. "am not telling you prick. he abhors you."  


"a-abhors me?"jaemin stammered in pure disbelief. "that's a big word—he told you that? oh, no no. renjun's just shy about our _special_ relationship." he waved both of his hands in denial, wearing this confident grin.  
  
  


"of course, why would he be proud of your parasitical relationship?"  
  


jaemin gasped, and she swore she heard his heart shatter into pieces. "yellow card! yellowcard!" donghyuck pulled him away from her protectively. "hey you're hurting his feelings."he defended his friend.  
  


she shrugged. "it's my pleasure." she said. "now please, kindly remove yourselves from the library. we don't want trouble here, misters."  
  
  


"i'm sorry, but are you sure you want us gone? you're going to miss me kirin."donghyuck grinned and kirin wished she still had the energy to slap him with a hardbound book.  


  


"very funny, lee."she replied, dryly.   
  


"not as funny as your contemporary dance last year."he countered and kirin felt something snap inside of her.  
  


"pfft—HAHAHAHA."jaemin cackled, slapping his friend in the shoulder jokingly. "donghyuck you're terrible! her dance was artistic."  
  


_no, no, no. stay calm._ kirin told herself. _don't let them get into you, don't stoop to their level._ __

_  
_

"oh right, she danced about confusion and discord."  


  


_this lee donghyuck!_ kirin wanted to cry and pull his hair out of his scalp.  
  


"abstract!"  
  


_my expectations for this guy were never big in the first place._ kirin sighed, disregarding jaemin in her life in two seconds.  


  


"HAHAHAHAHA."  
  


she watched as donghyuck laughed heartily, which was rare—atleast for her. unintentionally, her frequent image of donghyuck is him with a cocky smirk plastered on his face, and this rather _amused smile_ of his that never failed to cause high blood pressure strike on her.  
  


_wait i'm staring too much._ kirin internally slapped herself.  


the librarian finally shushed them but the two devils continued to giggle and mock her under their breaths as if she wasn't in front of them.  
  


"people like you are trashing the environment."she remarked in defeat. well, it seemed like she had to leave the place herself. the two didn't look like they would leave her alone. "now, excuse me. i have a physics assignment to ace."she sneered at donghyuck before she approached the door to exit.   


  


"bye kirin-ah!"jaemin waved, his energy unwavering.

  


"ace the music class too, top two!"donghyuck added, and kirin felt her blood boil.

  


"please just die!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  


• • •

structures that have   
_no apparent function_ and appear  
to be residual parts from  
a past ancestor are called **vestigial structures**. (e.g human _appendix_ , the _pelvic bone_ of a snake, and the _wings_ of flightless bird.)

**air resistance** is a force that is caused by _air_. the force acts in the opposite direction to an object moving through the air; has effect on velocity, and can _slow object down_ (or any other effects)

simply, it's a _drag._ in school, the students are to _ignore_ it in the equations (e.g in physics)

  



	3. Blast in the past?

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡°

• • •

iii. blast in the past   
(just a month ago actually)  
  
  


■■■■■■

class election.

 _march_. first week   
of the school year

■■■■■■

"the class president will be burdened with great responsibility and important tasks."kirin started, with her head held high. the attention of the whole class was all on her, curious.

renjun, her one friend sitting beside her, was biting his nails, anticipating something terrible to happen. if only he could push her friend back to her seat and convince her to let everything be.

kirin continued, "it will take an ideal character and ability in order to be fit of the position. therefore, i suggest to veto the designation of lee donghyuck as class president and nominate a new one."

everyone gasped with her statement, reluctantly turning their heads to the subject, who remained unfazed. murmurs were here and there, some was awed by her audacity while some shook their heads in disagreement.

"kirin,"renjun tugged her uniform, looking anxious. "let's not stir more trouble okay?"

kirin rolled her eyes. "i'm speaking in behalf of everyone here, renjun. these jerks are getting too far."

of course, jaemin nominated donghyuck, someone closed the nomination, and someone seconded the motion—then voilà, a new president! everything happened so fast. donghyuck must have paid some good amount to these folks, but she couldn't be so sure.  
  


their adviser gulped, forcing a smile. donghyuck was beside her, standing near the board, radiating off an unnerving energy. she never thought a simple election could escalate to this. "ms. kim, are you sure—"

kirin heaved a sigh. was the adviser siding with him? pathetic.

"certainly, without bias, ma'am. he may have decent grades but his personality is irrational and overall he's juvenile. i don't think he'll be able to carry the class—"

" _what's the top two running her loud, top-two quality of a mouth for?_ "

that and the room boomed with " _oooh_." yikes. donghyuck was pissed. no sarcasm was laced in his voice and for a moment, kirin's confidence faltered. that was supposed to be her opportunity to prove her point but kirin's voice was stuck in her throat. donghyuck stared at her and as much as she was tempted to look away, her pride wouldn't let her.

"i don't think you are speaking for the whole class, ms. kim." donghyuck continued, and kirin almost choked in her own spit with his formality, only implying how offended he was.

"your statement against me does not hold any value because we are rivals, apparently you'll be bias." he said, raising his brow at him.

"rivals or not, we are not dumb to allow someone like you to lead us. this is not a circus, mr. lee."kirin hissed, hoping she sounded persuasive but her heart sank when the class responded with collective boos. and on her peripheral vision, she could see renjun raising his fist at the them.

donghyuck smirked. "again, don't use 'we'. see, you just made the whole class laugh."

kirin slammed the table and pointed at him. "see? your irrationality is showing—"

"i think that's enough, ms. kim." the adviser interfered, "why don't we do it the democratic way? everyone's opinion here is respected, let's vote and the majority's decision will then win."she suggested, but kirin was still convinced that she was siding with donghyuck.

"okay, those who agree to veto—"

jaemin yawned, deliberately loud and exaggerated, earning everyone's attention.

"ma'am, i don't find the need. i think kirin here is the only one against the idea."

_stay calm. stay calm_. kirin told herself.

"right, guys?" he continued, and their classmates yelled 'yeah' while some only nodded in response. kirin felt herself shrinking down among them. she was hurt and embarrassed.

"look at them hyping donghyuck like he's some superior being. all i see is a problematic child with questionable taste in friends." she heard renjun mutter angrily beside her.

donghyuck only played with his hair, smirking like the devil that he is. "then that settles it." he said, not forgetting to wink at jaemin to which the latter returned with an 'i got you hon'.

"should i whoop their asses for you, kirin?" renjun asked, and she immediately shook her head.

"no, it's okay. let's not waste time on them again. this was a mistake." she timidly replied as she sat back, her heart heavy and pounding with rage. renjun held her hand hoping to comfort and give her assurance.

"ms. kim?" the adviser called her. 

kirin sighed. of course they would choose donghyuck. they would pick someone as free-spirited, outgoing, and fun like him. he's troublesome but everyone loves him.

"ms. kim?"

on the contrary she was a stickler for the rules, a killjoy. a grammar police, the type who'd try to correct you in the most infuriating way possible. humorless since birth, she wasn't charismatic, and her classmates never enjoyed her company — unless it's purely academic.

with her head low, "i concede." she said.  
  
  


• • •

this is only a flashback ♡


	4. Dramama

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡°

• • •

iv. donghyuck is actually emotionally constipated

_oh my god_. kirin slapped her forehead, getting flustered all of a sudden. why now? why is her brain involuntarily reminiscing some not-so-distant past when she's in a middle of a physics problem set? running into donghyuck early in the morning must have triggered this unwanted memory to return.

if only she could control her hippocampus and manually choose the memories she want to keep. her heart was hurting after remembering that particular moment.

_when donghyuck became their class president, and totally outmaneuvered her._   
  


her pen suddenly fell from her hold, and continued to roll over the table and to the ground. she heaved a soft sigh before she stood up and reached for it. 

_what to do with bad memories?_

others might think that kirin's pursuit to the top of their batch, despite genuinely not a prodigy, is ludicrous, laughable, ambitious. an _overbearing wannabe_ , or donghyuck would say. yes, school isn't just about academics but friendships and happiness. but being the best? it was everything to kirin.   
  
  
  
  


she doesn't remember when it started, but she was driven by the desire to get commended, to be appreciated, to be awed at. she was stuck into such monotonous lifestyle, a physically and emotionally draining cycle. her goal was to be the best and donghyuck, was nothing but a hindrance. he was just simply bright, without even trying. simply the top one, without having to go through millions of sleepless nights, without enduring days of toil that seemed to go on forever, and can manage without sacrificing his own joy.  
  
  
  


isn't it frustrating? when you exert every energy in your system for one thing, harder and harder than anyone else, _but you just can't make it?_  
  
  


it makes you feel pathetic enough each day, but you can no longer stop.  
  
  
  


"oh, well."she remained standing and she closed her eyes, feeling the breeze and focusing her mind away from donghyuck, and her other dreaded past. she remembered her mom telling her to let the memories be.   
  


_"the memory have its way. it perhaps returned to urge you to become better, to push you forward."_ what her mother would say if she was here, and her silvery voice would then calm her nerves. no matter how we supress the thoughts of painful moments, we just can't.   
  


_then i'll_ _beat donghyuck this time. i will snatch the first rank back._ _i'm going to redeem myself._ kirin smiled with the thought.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"top two!"  
  
  


"KYAAAAAH-" _seriously? what the hell_!"-hmmpf."kirin managed to hold her scream by covering her own mouth, eyes doubled in size. all she ever knew was that she was alone and so for someone to abruptly appear like that - she swore her heart dropped.  
  


"LEE DONGHYUCK!"now she basically yelled at him. so much about controlling the voice reasonably. she twisted the ear of the boy in front of her.  
  


"ow! ow!"

"stop scaring me like that!" she proceeded to kick him in the shin, but suddenly lost her balance. she shrieked, expecting to fall but didn't. had donghyuck stepped away a little further, he couldn't have held her shoulder and prevented her fall, but she ungratefully pushed him away.

"why are you always shouting?" donghyuck asked. he continued to rub the ear kirin twisted, and she rolled her eyes, not guilty at all.  
  
  


she puffed her cheeks. "because i hate you so much!" she screeched, punching him twice in the chest. donghyuck was late to react and only stared at her in disbelief. "are you following me or what? state your business with me, pronto!"she yelled again.  
  


donghyuck rolled his eyes, visibly irritated. "you're so noisy." he handed a paper to her. "you dropped this at the library."

kirin stared at the paper he was handing and her expression softened. "r-really? and you did all the trouble to return it?" _wait_ _was i too harsh on him?_ she thought.

"stop talking and just take it."he shoved it in her hand, frustrated. unknown to her, donghyuck only became flustered at the sudden change of her expression. he wasn't use to seeing her calm around him.

kirin scoffed, "okay geez, thank you. . ."

however she froze on her place upon opening the folded paper, her heart pounding in her chest. donghyuck was laughing at her side, enjoying her struck expression, oblivious of how much fear he inflicted on his rival with a simple printed picture.  
  


"oh, my bad."donghyuck sighed, "looks like i gave you the wrong paper."he joked, but kirin didn't hear him.  
  
  
  


a growing sense of anxiety was wrapping itself around her. it took seconds for kirin to process everything, until she threw the paper away. she crouched down, and she bit her point finger to stop her hands from shaking. _coward! coward!_ kirin chided herself. _stop shaking!_ after all those years, she can't believe even a picture of _that incident_ could still affect her like this. she wasn't one to linger on what has been done. you cannot force back the hands of the clock. her emotions were all over the place. the frustration towards herself and donghyuck was already mounting to start with. and now, a facet of her past she'd rather forget, has been shoved into her face - albeit a minuscule reminder, it brought back the trauma.   
  
  
  
  


donghyuck finally noticed how distraught she was. for a second he wondered what was happening, why kirin hasn't screamed at him yet. she's supposed to be so angry that she'd punch him again. then he realized it. guilt washed over his face. was he rubbing salt on a wound he never knew of with this prank? he doesn't know. _darn_ _it, what have i done?_ he thought. he squatted in front of her, holding her shoulders.

"hey, are you okay?"he asked, his voice taut.  
  


kirin was still shaking. sweat beaded her forehead, and her eyes glossed with tears. but she refused to admit that she was not okay. she pushed his arms away with the little strength left in her body. "y-yes. i'm fine."but her brittle voice made donghyuck feel worse.   
  


she stood up, almost stumbling. "i'll be going now."she said before she gathered her things and left the bench where she was supposed to study.  
  
  
  


donghyuck was also left behind, still squatting on the ground, with guilt taking over his system. his gaze fell on the paper he showed kirin and messed her up. he then raised his head to the sky, "mom," he let out a bitter laugh. "why do you women always say that?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


". . .you all tell us you're okay, when you're actually not."

• • •

im not rlly confident with this chapter :c but i hope u still enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm new here in ao3, i wish to meet new friends!
> 
> this story is also published in wattpad with the same title, in the flesh by ceasee.


End file.
